| shadowskinC |
I've decided to build a healbot Oracle, thus the Life Mystery is a goto option. However, the other Revelations except Channel in that Mystery are kind of useless, so I browsed the archetypes and found the warsighted Oracle.
So the problem here is, are there enough available combat feats for a spellcasting-focused Oracle to have the reason to take the archetype?
Magda Luckbender
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Instead of building a Healbot, have you considered building a combat-effective character that's also a kickass healer? One particularly effective method is called an Oradin Build. An Oradin heals the entire party passively via Life Oracle's Life Link and takes an active part in combat. Healing is done via Free Action, Swift Action, and Move Action, leaving Standard Action free for Spell casting. The addition of a reach weapon screen adds some battlefield control and melee damage during the GM's turn at very minimal cost (-1 AC from no shield).
* Melee Oradin (Life Oracle/Paladin) - The Master of Action Economy. On a desperate combat round this PC might do all these things:
- Autoheal the entire party via Life Link as a Free Action
- Mitigate incoming damage passively. This is more efficient and effective than healing.
- Heal entire party again as a Move Action via Quick Channel.
- If required, do a Swift Action Lay on Hands to self-heal.
- Cast a Spell as a Standard Action. Often a buff spell. If somehow still needed (unlikely but possible) you can heal entire party a third time via Channel Positive Energy.
- Take a 5' step to a tactically important defensive position
- During GM's Actions you possibly deliver martial attacks via a reach weapon and AoOs.
Here's The Oradin Mini-Guide: How to be a Healbot Without the Bot
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Here are some links related to using Martial Flexibility, the primary power of the Warsighted Oracle:
Guide to Martial Flexibility:the True Power of the Brawler
Wombo Combo Martial Flexibility Combinations Thread
Clever Uses of Martial Flexibility
Fabulous Feats with Martial Flexibility
| avr |
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Even if spellcasting-focused and using the cleric list, there are some spells which use ranged touch attacks and for which point blank shot & precise shot are useful. Being an oracle you have to actually pick admonishing ray or whatever for this to work of course.
There's defensive feats which you may like as well. Osyluth's guile or amateur swashbuckler (dodging panache) spring to mind because they use Cha, but there's more out there.
Maybe you'd like to aid your friends with combat reflexes and bodyguard - which reminds me, 'healbot' has really low requirements, you should be able to squeeze out 14 Str to wave a longspear around with some basic effectiveness.
Then there's the possibility that your friends have teamwork feats of any kind and might like you to have the same feats sometimes. Ask them.
If you get skill focus (stealth) the owl style line gives you what amounts to free skill points if you have martial flexibility. Not as much as a full-BAB character but potentially still useful. Plus each such feat has a minor bonus to skill use.
There's feats like dazzling display to make it easier to intimidate enemies. Shaken enemies are both less dangerous and more prone to fail saves.
| Java Man |
Life link is an excellent revelation for you. And don't discount energy body, safe healing or spirit boost.
But combat feats that can help you: dodge is okay, bodygaurd and combat reflexes (reducing damage your allies take is better than healing em), EWP for your emergency musket (campaign permitting), combat expertise (a dead healer is no use), a teamwork feat if anyone else in the party uses em, channel smite, and battle cry if your party isn't getting any other morale bonuses. Off the top.of my head that's a few, I'm sure there are more.
Edit: multiple ninja-ing of some of my advice.
| Ryze Kuja |
If you decide to go true "healbot" mode as a Life Oracle, consider getting Reach Spell as a Metamagic Feat so you can make your Cure spells into Close/Med range for a +1 or +2 spell level. It's better to sacrifice a higher spell slot to make a cure spell into a reach spell rather than traverse your ass through 60ft of "AoO Alley".
| VoodistMonk |
I just posted this in another thread and it is mentioned in here already, but...
Divine Hunter Paladin 2/Oracle X...
Take Scion of War and Desna's Divine Fighting Technique at level one, pick up Precise Shot for free. Divine Grace is the reason you stay two levels.
Oracle, Lunar and others, have the Charisma to armor Revelation. Do that.
Pursue the Startoss Shower feats. I prefer these over the advanced Desna's Divine Fighting Technique attack, personally.
But to answer your question, yes...
Scion of War gives Charisma to Initiative.
Desna's Divine Fighting Technique gives Charisma to attack and damage with a Starknife.
Certain Revelations give Charisma to armor bonus and Reflex saves instead of Dexterity.
| doomman47 |
If you decide to go true "healbot" mode as a Life Oracle, consider getting Reach Spell as a Metamagic Feat so you can make your Cure spells into Close/Med range for a +1 or +2 spell level. It's better to sacrifice a higher spell slot to make a cure spell into a reach spell rather than traverse your ass through 60ft of "AoO Alley".
I'm surprised you haven't the vitalist from pathfinder psionics.
| VoodistMonk |
As a caster, you want to go first... dump Dexterity and pump Charisma. Obviously taking Scion of War at first level.
Charisma to attack AND damage for one feat is worth worshipping Desna. Getting a +6 to damage with Startoss Shower is icing on the cake.
Any of the couple Revelations that grant Charisma to armor bonus AND Reflex saves is absolutely worth looking into.
The two levels of Paladin give you Charisma to saves, extra BAB, a wee bit of Smite, Precise Shot as a bonus feat, and some decent armor/weapon proficiencies.
Desna's Prestige Class does well with this if you really want to roleplay it.
| Ryze Kuja |
Ryze Kuja wrote:If you decide to go true "healbot" mode as a Life Oracle, consider getting Reach Spell as a Metamagic Feat so you can make your Cure spells into Close/Med range for a +1 or +2 spell level. It's better to sacrifice a higher spell slot to make a cure spell into a reach spell rather than traverse your ass through 60ft of "AoO Alley".I'm surprised you haven't the vitalist from pathfinder psionics.
I'm surprised you assume I haven't :P Soulthief Vitalists are the most ridiculous healer in the game.
| Dave Justus |
To actually answer your question, rather than propose you make a totally different character, I would say yes, there are enough combat feats that would benefit even a non-combat focused Oracle.
First off, there are combat feats that are Ok for anyone like dodge or armor focus that improve your AC. There is Dazzling Display, which is a pretty good debuff effect and something to fall back on when you don't need to do any healing.
I don't know what you plan on doing for your stats, but a healbot doesn't need high DCs, so while you want a good CHR, you can still have OK physical stats and you are 3/4 BAB which opens up other possibilities.
Combat Maneuvers and Martial Flexibility go really well together. If you specialize in a maneuver you have to dump a ton into it so it is useful whatever you encounter, with martial flexibility you don't have to do that though. Instead of having to invest enough so you can successfully grapple (for example) even the toughest foes, you instead get just good enough so you can grapple foes that are pretty easy to grapple when the situation arises (say you are up against a skinny wizard.) This sort of thing lets you adapt to a lot of situations. Perfect once in a campaign chance for an awesomely effective bullrush? Martial Flexibility has you covered.
So yes, it is viable and their are good options out their for an oracle that wants to take this path. Mechanically it probably isn't going to be as strong as 4 revelations, but if used correctly it can be quite effective.
| doomman47 |
doomman47 wrote:I'm surprised you assume I haven't :P Soulthief Vitalists are the most ridiculous healer in the game.Ryze Kuja wrote:If you decide to go true "healbot" mode as a Life Oracle, consider getting Reach Spell as a Metamagic Feat so you can make your Cure spells into Close/Med range for a +1 or +2 spell level. It's better to sacrifice a higher spell slot to make a cure spell into a reach spell rather than traverse your ass through 60ft of "AoO Alley".I'm surprised you haven't the vitalist from pathfinder psionics.
Well normally the word psionics is in the 1st sentence of your 1st reply for any non pfs posts so it was a little weird when you didn't this time around.
But my all time favorite healing character is a paladin/oracle/vitalist set up the link and be able to heal anyone at any time and they had nearly 20 uses of lay on hands per day plus the ultimate mercy feat line so they can rez one person a day(even more once I start using the item that turns channels uses into lay on hand uses).
It's one of the back up characters I have planned out, our party has a major hp problem and this would remedy it really well, one of the other ones is an hp tank who can reliably heal themselves.
keerawa
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You might also consider the Psychic Searcher archetype, which trades one mystery spell and one revelation for a pool of Inspiration like an investigator, and then lets you choose to trade others for a small but tasty pool of Investigator talents that can be exceptionally useful in and out of combat.